Sightseeing,or, Light at the end of the Tunnel pt2
by Rosencrantz
Summary: A sequel to Light at the End of the Tunnel (an X-fic) in which New York is examined by someone who has almost never been aboveground.


Disclaimer: Mine: Morriden, Patrick, Remus, Justin, Thomas. Marvels: Spider-man, Human Torch and Wilson Fisk. Iron Maidens: The Wicker Man and Ghost of the Navigator. Once again: Criticism is asked for. Really. I'm not trying to be humble. I crave this stuff. I don't get snippy either. 

* * *

Sightseeing   
  
By Rosencrantz

  
  
  
  
  
Open scene. Two men working. One in front of a computer, the other underneath a huge machine console.  
  
"Augh! This WON'T fix!" came the sudden yell.  
  
"And it hasn't for all the years you've been trying, Patrick. Hence the reason Remus will be joining us" Answered the other one. There is little to no physical differences between these two. If you would look closely, you would notice that the one at the computer possesses green cat-slitted eyes. Patrick, if spent long enough around him, you would see that his eyes are an odd hue of purple. They are also cat-like.  
  
__

Hand of fate is moving and the finger points to you   
He knocks you to your feet and so what are you gonna do   
Your tongue has frozen now you've got something to say   
The piper at the gates of dawn is calling you his way

  
  
"Do you have the information for Fisk?"  
  
"I hate him, and you continue to work for him. For all you ragged on Tom, how the mighty have fallen."  
  
"Shut up and give me the disk"  
  
The man (actually looking no more than 18, which he had been for far too long) heaved a sigh and handed the disk to Patrick. "I hope you know what you are doing brother. I honestly do"  
  
"Whatever. If he was planning anything, I'd know. You can't fool a telepath."  
  
"So you say, but he feels treacherous..."  
  
"Empaths, paranoid twits the lot of you" Said Patrick with a sniff. Slowly he turned around with a smirk. "I think now would be a good time to try out our new 'trainee'. The modifications I made to him should stand up to this. I bet he misses New York anyway"  
  
"... Pat, this may not be your smartest plan..."  
  
"Nonsense. MORRIDEN!" Bellowed Patrick.  
  
Where the had been thin air there was now a thin teenager. Rock/scaled covered, he was interesting colour of blue and black. "Yes?"  
  
"Got work for you. If it works out right, you may not need any more treatments"  
  
__

You watch the world exploding every single night   
Dancing in the sun a newborn in the light   
Say goodbye to gravity and say goodbye to death   
Hello to eternity and live for every breath  


  
"Okay. Where do I have to 'port to?"  
  
_Your time will come, your time will come   
Your time will come, your time will come_  
  
"New York. Here's a picture of the place you have to go. Get yourself to Central Park and look from there"  
  
"Okay. Just porting? Easy test."  
  
"Patrick, you dimwit! Here Morriden, take this to Wilson Fisk. I trust you'll be able to find him. I hope the amount of time I spent working on your intuition wasn't misspent?" Justin sighed as he handed Morriden the disc with the information on it.  
  
"No. It works great. And I've stopped porting by accident. Haven't gotten lost in a week"  
  
"Good. Now go"  
  
A pity there is no special effect to go with his porting. Makes it bloody hard to describe it... In any case Morriden ceased to be there.  
  
_The ferryman wants his money you ain't going to give it back   
He can push his own boat as you set up off the track   
Nothing you can contemplate will ever be the same   
Every second is a new spark, sets the universe aflame_  
  
"Never been here before... Green" Was Morriden's only comment on Central Park.  
  
"Ah well, time to earn my keep." With that he leapt and disappeared. Only to reappear almost instantly on the Empire State building.  
  
"Or some sight-seeing may be in order. After all, the sewers can't be much of a taste of New York. Tho', to listen to Emotion, you'd think so.." He said with a smirk.  
  
Where to? Lady Liberty! Were the thoughts that ran thru his head. Before they were finished, he found himself sitting on the tip of the torch.   
  
_You watch the world exploding every single night   
Dancing in the sun a newborn in the light   
Brothers and their fathers joining hands and make a chain   
The shadow of the Wicker Man is rising up again_  
  
_Nice view. Is boring though... _With that he disappeared again.  
  
"Hello sir, welcome to Bloomingdale's. Are you looking for anything?" Asked a cheerful girl who didn't seem too unnerved by Morriden's appearance.  
  
"Actually, you could. Can you suggest any interesting places in New York?"  
  
"Certainly Sir! Statue of liberty, Empire state building, Four Freedoms Plaza, and the theatre district. Is that all you need?"  
  
"Yes. Thank you very much" Said Morriden, unsure of how to deal with this human._ Why wasn't she yelling at him and calling him monster? Was he wrong about humans?_  
  
"Oh my god! There's some sort of freak in here!" shrieked a male voice.  
  
_Well, screw that idea, she must have been unique... Probably why I showed up here..._  
  
A leap and he vanished.  
  
And reappeared on the Publication Facilities for the Daily Bugle building. To be specific he showed up on the 'G' of the sign.  
  
"Wha-, ack!" Was his reaction as he frantically tried to catch his balance.  
  
"Hello there. And what do you think you're doing?" Morriden started in surprise and scrabbled around to face the voice. It was a man in what appeared to be red and blue pajamas.  
  
"Sitting. And you would be?" Questioned Morriden. He looked familiar... probably from one of the briefings Harlequin had given him. Pity he hadn't listened too closely...  
  
_You watch the world exploding every single night   
Dancing in the sun a newborn in the light   
Say goodbye to gravity and say goodbye to death   
Hello to eternity and live for every breath_  
  
"The names Spider-man. You some new super-hero?"  
  
"No... Hmm," said Morriden, a mischievous feeling taking over "Can you tell me where to find one Wilson Fisk?" From what Emotion complained (which he did at great length on may subjects) This Fisk person was quite the career criminal. If he was wrong, he'd probably get directions anyway.  
  
"Oh really... Why do you want to see him?" If it hadn't been for the 'training' Patrick had given him, Morriden might have missed the tensing of muscles.  
  
"Oh, nothing important. Just have some information to give him, from my boss."  
  
"Really. Who would your boss be?" This was said in incredulous tone. As if he could not believe that anyone would be so stupid.  
  
_Harlequin was right, it is fun to mess with peoples minds_, thought Morriden.  
  
"Oh, this and that. Mostly stuff on gene modifications." Replied Morriden airily._ This should be fun..._  
  
The man in the spandex tilted his head and seemed to be listening to something. He shook it and turned back to Morriden.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he said while turning his hands palm upwards.  
  
_Time to move_, surmised Morriden as he ported out, and reappeared behind Spider-man(?).  
  
"That was fun. You can have them if you can catch me," called Morriden as he teleported down to another ledge.  
  
_Take my heart and set it free, carried forward by the waves   
Nowhere left to run, navigator's son,   
Chasing rainbows all my days_  
  
_Where I go I do not know, I only know the place I've been   
Dreams they come and go, ever shall be so,   
Nothing's real until you feel _  
  
"You're on!" Cried the costumed man as he jumped at Morriden.  
  
_Four Freedoms Plaza, what looks like a flying flame... Oh, this can't be good..._ thought Morriden as he finally put his changes to the test.  
  
"In out, round about," he sang as he teleported a merry chase through downtown New York.  
  
"Gotcha!" Yelled Spider-man as he grabbed Morriden's wrist.  
  
"Uh-uh" Was the response as Morriden ceased to be in that particular area.  
  
He reappeared on what he was going to assume was the Empire State building. He was going by the cries of: There's someone on the Empire State Building! _Call it a hunch..._  
  
"Okay, my powers are screwed again. What happened to my little friend? Here pyjama boy, where are you?"  
  
Suddenly he doubled over in both nausea and fatigue. _Kay, maybe the last one wasn't such a good idea..._ He thought as he lowered himself down to rest a bit.  
  
"Th, that's the best idea" He stuttered out.  
  
"Found him, web-head! What are you gonna do with him?" Cried a flash of fire in front of him.  
  
"Pin him down. Make sure he can't move." Said pyjama boy, as Morriden had started to think of him as.  
  
"Aw. Didn't know you cared," teased Morriden with a smirk as he pulled himself up.  
  
Looking down, he commented. "How far would you say the drop is? And what would happen to someone who fell from it?"  
  
"Are you threatening him?" Flame-lad asked him, stepping forward.  
  
"No, just wondering" Replied Morriden as he leaned over the edge to the point where he was just keeping up due to one arm. _Why not?_ Was his only thought,_ show Emotion all that work wasn't for nothing..._  
  
_Take my heart and set it free, carried forward by the waves   
Nowhere left to run, navigator's son,   
Chasing rainbows all my days_  
  
_Where I go I do not know, I only know the place I've been   
Dreams they come and go, ever shall be so,   
Nothing's real until you feel_  
  
"He just jumped!" Screamed Spider-man, "Is he insane!?"  
  
Spider-man swung down, hoping to catch the teenager before he killed himself.  
  
_I steer between the crashing rocks, the sirens call my name   
Lash my hands onto the helm, blood surging with the strain   
I will not fail now as sunrise comes, the darkness left behind   
For eternity I follow on, there is no other way   
Mysteries of time, clouds that hide the sun   
But I know, I know_  
  
Morriden twisted his body around to look at Pyjama-boy. "You lose"  
  
_I see the ghosts of navigators but they are lost   
As they sail into the sunset they'll count the cost   
As their skeletons accusing emerge from the sea   
The sirens of the rocks, they beckon me_  
  
"Hello folks. I seem to be a bit lost," quavered Morriden from a circle of guns. "Um, anyone got a map?"  
  
"And what is going on here?" Thundered a baritone voice. Morriden turned his head as much as he dared. A tall Caucasian sumo wrestler seemed to be heading for him...  
  
"Kingpin. Sir. This intruder appeared out of nowhere. Possibly a Parahuman. Sir"  
  
_Kingpin, hmm, can't port. Swiss cheese Morlock. Yum!_ "Mr. Fisk! I have some information for you. So, please. Don't shoot the messenger"  
  
"Information? Hand it over. Now." Commanded the Kingpin.  
  
"Geesh. Make a guy feel welcom- Urk!" Yelped the mutant as the butt of a gun was shoved into his side.  
  
"Information. Now. No joking. Or I will shoot the messenger"  
  
Morriden felt a wave of fear wash over him. This man would kill him. It was a twisted version of the Alley again. And he didn't have the energy to teleport.  
  
"Here you go" He said, timid as a mouse. He was one inch away from begging to be spared. Justin's efforts had been in vain. Terror still ruled.  
  
"Thank you. You may tell Harlequin his next payment shall arrive shortly. You are dismissed. Guards, show him out"  
  
_I have sailed to many lands, now I make my final journey   
On the bow I stand, west is where I go   
Through the night I plough, still my heart, calculate and pray   
As the compass swings, my will is strong, I will not be led astray   
Mysteries of time clouds that hide the sun   
But I know, but I know, but I know_  
  
"Patrick, Morriden got back. He overtaxed himself. Not to mention, he doesn't feel right. I think something messed up his head again."  
  
"And you worked so hard too. Send him with the rest of the rejects?"  
  
"I don't think so. And they aren't rejects. People dispose of rejects. We just have a thriving community. How do you think Remus is going to react?"  
  
"Probably something along the lines of: Yes! More kids to spoil. He is much too much like mother in that respect"  
  
"That was, is, one of her better traits"  
  
"Have you convinced him to bring Thomas?"  
  
"Yes. He was worried that you would go through with your stupid plan but I convinced him otherwise. You aren't going to do it? Right?"  
  
"... Of course not."  
  
"I'm hiding the weapons"  
  
_You watch the world exploding every single night   
Dancing in the sun a newborn in the light   
Say goodbye to gravity and say goodbye to death   
Hello to eternity and live for every breath_  
  
  
"Remus, when are we leaving?" asked a young teenager. His eyes, if you looked, were an intense blue. They also had cat-slits.  
  
"Soon kiddo. No fear. Hand me that tool kit and go to bed, alright?" Said a tall, powerfully built man with a brown/red beard. "You've been late for school to much this week, Tom. Don't want you to get detention."  
  
The boy nods and hands the man the tools. They look more like surgical instruments than tools. The boy averts his eyes from what's on the table in front of Remus.  
  
"Night Da- Remus"  
  
The man nods and turns to his work.  
  
The table is actually some sort of med-bed. In it, appears to be the remains of a human. But, if you look closely, a heart beats. The blood flows. It is still alive. Parts of it's head are missing. It cannot be, but it is.  
  
Remus walks up to it.  
  
"Time to get to work" He says with a grin as he pulls out parts of machines.  



End file.
